Is it better to be close to the imam on Friday in the second row, or in the first row but far from him?
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, O honorable Shaykh, if a person comes and enters the mosque.
The Shaykh : If so.
The questioner : If a person enters the mosque on Friday and finds the first row has a gap at its end, is it better for him to sit in the second row close to the imam, or to sit at the end of the row?
The Shaykh : I mean, is it better to face the imam, or to be in the first row even if it is far? If he can hear the entire khutbah, for example, if there is a loudspeaker in the mosque and none of the khutbah is hidden from him, then the first row is better without a doubt. But if he cannot hear it, then standing or sitting in front of the imam is better. This is because listening to the khutbah is obligatory, and advancing to the first row—what is it? It is a recommended practice (sunnah). Did you understand? And most mosques, praise be to Allah, now have loudspeakers. Yes, in order, my brothers. Ah, yes, yes. All right, there is no harm.
The Shaykh : If so.
The questioner : If a person enters the mosque on Friday and finds the first row has a gap at its end, is it better for him to sit in the second row close to the imam, or to sit at the end of the row?
The Shaykh : I mean, is it better to face the imam, or to be in the first row even if it is far? If he can hear the entire khutbah, for example, if there is a loudspeaker in the mosque and none of the khutbah is hidden from him, then the first row is better without a doubt. But if he cannot hear it, then standing or sitting in front of the imam is better. This is because listening to the khutbah is obligatory, and advancing to the first row—what is it? It is a recommended practice (sunnah). Did you understand? And most mosques, praise be to Allah, now have loudspeakers. Yes, in order, my brothers. Ah, yes, yes. All right, there is no harm.